Beautiful Girls

1996

Action / Comedy / Drama / Romance

Synopsis

New York based jazz pianist Willie Conway heads back to his small hometown of Knights Ridge, Massachusetts for a high school reunion. The trip is as much to go to the reunion and see his old friends - none of whom left Knights Ridge after graduation - as it is to get away from his current life, at which he is at a crossroads both personally and professionally. He is just eking out a living with his piano playing gigs, and as such he is thinking about taking a sales job. He's also not sure if he's ready to marry his long time girlfriend, lawyer Tracy Stover. Most of Willie's Knights Ridge blue collar friends' best days were in high school, they still having that "trophy" mentality of girlfriends and wives. Only Michael "Mo" Morris is happily married with a family. Paul Kirkwood, whose room is plastered with magazine pictures of models, wants his waitress ex-girlfriend Jan back only because he knows now that he can't have her. And Tommy "Birdman" Rowland, who was the big man in high ...

New York based jazz pianist Willie Conway heads back to his small hometown of Knights Ridge, Massachusetts for a high school reunion. The trip is as much to go to the reunion and see his old friends - none of whom left Knights Ridge after graduation - as it is to get away from his current life, at which he is at a crossroads both personally and professionally. He is just eking out a living with his piano playing gigs, and as such he is thinking about taking a sales job. He's also not sure if he's ready to marry his long time girlfriend, lawyer Tracy Stover. Most of Willie's Knights Ridge blue collar friends' best days were in high school, they still having that "trophy" mentality of girlfriends and wives. Only Michael "Mo" Morris is happily married with a family. Paul Kirkwood, whose room is plastered with magazine pictures of models, wants his waitress ex-girlfriend Jan back only because he knows now that he can't have her. And Tommy "Birdman" Rowland, who was the big man in high ...

Tech specs

Movie Reviews

Its a Wonderful Day

Midlife crisis looms the life of a failing musician, forcing him to return to his hometown to find himself. Upon returning, he discovers that he is not alone in this journey for self discovery.

I have to say acting-wise the film was not really that special. Not even the charming Mrs. Portman did deliver noteworthy performances. Even some of the performances comes off a bit stiff. In addition, its typical nineties style cinematography does not give it favor. So boring and forgettable.

Ultimately, Beautiful Girls is a film that is lifted by its well- written script. It is able to be freely and willfully construct a life of a group of men having a hard time taking their impending stature as a family man without really boring or sullen.

Overall, the film is a fine film that does not really offer anything new but is kinda worth your time. Especially if you want a film talking about very emasculating period in your life[3/5]

Reviewed by Predrag8 / 10

"Let's Walk Through This World Together..."

This film is hilarious. So enjoyable. Lots of issues being brought to light without making each story line too heavy. Older man liking the very much younger girl, another girl dealing with an eating disorder as her boyfriend is having an affair with a married woman. It's not the story, it's the characters, the words between the thoughts, the spare dialogues, the moments spent among friends, when you stop and reflect on the way your life's going. And it's the basic things in life, friends, girls, past and future. All very lighthearted, no drama, just some vibes. It takes talent to tell a story where nothing great happens It's not a showy movie, but lulls you with well realized set pieces and dilemmas. Rosie O'Donnell's diatribe is fantastic, but it is Natalie Portman's astute turn as Marty that makes the film for me. You truly believe that Willie would fall for this smart 13 old - who wouldn't? She exudes intelligence and vitality and communicates with a man who 'was in 12th(?) grade when she was a zygote' on his level, reducing him to a nervous suitor at points with her wit. The Pooh and Christopher Robin reference is a poignant tool which the actors use to its full potential in this setting. All in all, the film is a quiet pleasure, sketching the difficult, indifferent 20-something decisions of life - do you cling to your youth or move on to the next stage of life willingly? Ted Demme and cast did an admirable job.

Overall rating: 8 out of 10.

Reviewed by Searsino8 / 10

Pleasantly Surprised by this Little Gem

Being an avid movie-buff, it feels like there isn't much left that I want to see.. until I came across this gem on Netflix completely by chance.

For starters, the cast is outstanding: Matt Dillon, Michael Rapaport & Timothy Hutton play three friends who grew apart after high school, going their separate ways. Hutton has come back into town for an upcoming high school reunion and becomes acquainted with everyone and everything he once left behind.

What made this film the gem that it was, can be largely credited to the relatively short screen time by a young Natalie Portman, playing the young daughter of neighbors next door to Hutton's childhood home. The exchanges between these two are simply outstanding.

It is the year 2016 that I write this review, and I can assure anyone reading this that you will enjoy every moment. Watch what made Dillon the powerhouse he once was, or the raw talent that Portman displays well before she grew into the top tiers of stardom.